Ausbil Investment Management Ltd Increases Position in American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK)

Ausbil Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK) by 17.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 34,625 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,030 shares during the period. American Water Works accounts for approximately 2.1% of Ausbil Investment Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in American Water Works were worth $4,165,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MV Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in American Water Works by 110.8% during the 4th quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Water Works in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 79.2% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of American Water Works by 71.9% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 239 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of American Water Works during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.58% of the company’s stock.

American Water Works Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE AWK traded down $0.56 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $128.71. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 28,190 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,375,993. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $113.34 and a fifty-two week high of $151.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.22, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $128.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $125.61.

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by ($0.03). American Water Works had a return on equity of 9.74% and a net margin of 22.27%. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $962.30 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.91 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current year.

American Water Works Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th were given a dividend of $0.765 per share. This represents a $3.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.38%. This is a boost from American Water Works’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 13th. American Water Works’s payout ratio is 62.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on AWK shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of American Water Works from $124.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. StockNews.com cut shares of American Water Works from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $141.33.

American Water Works Company Profile

American Water Works Company, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,700 communities in 14 states serving approximately 3.5 million active customers. The company serves residential customers; commercial customers, including food and beverage providers, commercial property developers and proprietors, and energy suppliers; fire service and private fire customers; industrial customers, such as large-scale manufacturers, mining, and production operations; public authorities comprising government buildings and other public sector facilities, such as schools and universities; and other utilities and community water and wastewater systems.